Drain connector



July 9, 1963 H. J. EYNON 3,096,527

DRAIN CONNECTOR Filed Nov. 24, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 BY a w W ATTORNEYS July 9, 1963 H. J. EYNON 3,096,527

DRAIN CONNECTOR Filed Nov. 24, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY Maia/1% A T TO] EYS July 9, 1963 H. J. EYNON 3,096,527

DRAIN CONNECTOR Filed Nov. 24, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,096,527 DRAIN CONNECTOR Harry John Eynon, Bloomfield Hills, Mich., assignor to Lyon Incorporated, Detroit, Micln, a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 24, 1961, Ser. No. 154,682 12 Claims. (Cl. 4-287) This invention relates to drain connectors or waste fittings or the like and particularly to that type of fitting used in sinks and having associated therewith a crumb cup strainer and stopper.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a waste fitting of light weight construction which may be economically manufactured. Heretofore, the body part of the waste fitting housing has been made of cast material or from a forging to provide sufficient stock for threading purposes so that the usual large attaching nuts could be connected thereto in making the coupling connection of the drain pipe to the housing and also in making the assembly connection of the housing to the sink outlet. It has always been difficult to thread the large assembly nut on the housing particularly in view of the cramped quarters in which the strainer housing is usually located and requiring a special form of wrench in order to manipulate the nut.

The C. W. Mackey US. Patent No. 2,736,577 addressed itself to the problem described above and the present invention is believed to constitute an improvement thereover. In this regard, and according to teatures of the present invention, a clamp is mounted on a tail piece, the tail piece having a flanged end seated on a seat provided on a drain housing, and screws are threaded through the clamp and bear against an underside sink area which in one form comprises a ring loosely mounted on the tail piece, and in another form comprises a backup ring engaged against an underside of the sink about the sink drain opening, and in still another form comprises indentations in the drain housing itself. Accordingly to still other features of this invention, the drain housing may be formed integral with the sink or it may comprise a separate member having a flanged end seated about the sink drain opening. Where the drain housing is mounted on the sink about the flange opening and is formed as a separate unit, the screws coact with the sink in such a way so as to serve a novel dual function in that they exert a pull-down force against the sink to effect a seal at the juncture of the drain housing with the sink and to effect a second seal at the juncture of the tailpiece with the drain housing seat.

According to still other features of the present invention, a removable strainer having annularly spaced openings is mounted within the drain housing, said removable strainer having material partially cut therefrom at some of said openings providing spaced retaining fingers resiliently engaged an inside wall of the tubular tail piece.

According to still further features of this invention,

the strainer basket has a vertically movable rubber stopper mounted on its underside and secured to the strainer basket by means of a vertically movable lift member.

It is an important object of this invention to provide a sink waste fitting which may be easily assembled on a sink and which may be readily serviced and cleaned.

According to more specific features of this invention, a tubular cup-shaped drain housing is provided, the housing having a reduced lower end including an annular radially inwardly extending flange defining a seat, a gasket on said seat, a tubular tail piece having an upper end including an annular radially outwardly extending tail piece flange mounted on said gasket, a tail piece clamp rigidly secured to said tail piece, and a series of screws threadably secured to said clamp and having ends for engagement with an underside of a sink to draw said tail piece flange downwardly and snugly against said gasket and said seat to secure the tail piece in watertight assembly with said tubular cup-shaped drain housing.

Other objects and features of this invention will more fully become apparent in view of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings illustrating therein several embodiments and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a sink having a waste outlet fitting mounted thereon;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken substantially on the line II-II looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, as seen in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of a removable strainer;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section similar to FIGURE 2 only illustrating a modified form of my invention;

FIGURE 5 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the line V-V looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of a sink having a tubular cup-shaped drain housing mounted therein;

FIGURE 7 is a top plan view of a strainer basket adapted for assembly within the drain housing shown in is mounted on the sink bottom 12 about the drain aperture 13.

The sink waste fitting or waste outlet fitting includes a tubular cup-shaped drain housing 15 joined at its upper end with the sink 11.. The housing 15 further has a reduced lower end 17 including an annular radially inwardly extending flange 18 defining a tail piece seat 19.

A standard rubber gasket 20 is mounted onthe seat 19.

The fitting '14 further includes a tubular tail piece 21 having an upper end 22 including an annular radially outwardly extending tail piece flange 23 mounted on the gasket 20. A lower end 24 of the tail piece 21 is secured in a conventional way to a trap pipe 25 by means of a nut 26 having a gasket (not shown) engaged about the perimeter of the lower'end 24 of the tail piece 21.

A ring 27 is loosely mounted on the tail piece 21 and is adapted to engage against the drain housing flange 18 on its lower side. A tail piece clamp comprising a split ring 28 is rigidly secured to the tail piece 21. In this regard, the ring 28 has a pair of radially extending circumferentially spaced clamp or ring flanges 2929 provided with holes 30 therein and a nut and bolt fastener 31 is secured in the holes 30 and adapted to draw the clamp or ring flanges 29-49 together in order to securely and rigidly attach the clamp 28 with the tail piece 21.

Extended vertically through the tail piece clamp and secured in threaded assembly therewith are a series of pressure screws 32. The screws 32 have upper ends 33 engaged with the ring 27 so that when the screws 32 are drawn tight the tail piece 21 including the tail piece flange 23 are drawn vertically downwardly in snug engagement with the gasket 20 and the housing seat 19 to effect a watertight seal.

Mounted within the drain housing 15 is a removable strainer 34 (FIGURES 2 and 3). The strainer has a series of annularly spaced strainer openings 35 and it will be noted that the material is only partially cut from the strainer at some of the openings as this material is formed into circumferentially spaced resiliently deflectable retaining fingers 36. When the removable strainer is mounted in assembly with the drain housing, it is adapted to engage on top of the tail piece flange 23 and the fingers are resiliently biased radially inwardly and engaged with an inside wall of the tubular tail piece 21.

Also mounted within the drain housing 15 is a strainer basket 37 having a series of strainer basket drain holes 38 therein. The strainer basket 37 is also provided with an outer strainer basket margin 39 which is in lapped engagement with the outer margin of the drain housing 15 and thereby suspended internally within a housing cavity 40 defined by the housing 15.

Mounted on the strainer basket 37 is a stopper assembly indicated generally at 41. The stopper assembly 41 includes a rubber or synthetic stopper ring or stopper 42, which is secured between a pair of lower and upper stopper plates 43 and 44. The stopper assembly 41 further includes a lift stem 45 having a knurled enlarged head 46 at its upper end. The stem 45 has a reduced lower end 47 and a rivet 48 for securing the plates 43 and 44 in assembly with an intermediate stopper section 49. The stopper assembly 41 may be moved vertically with respect to the basket 37 and the stem 45 may be moved through basket opening 50 in order to open or close the drain housing 15. When the stopper assembly is in an open position, an axially facing stopper shoulder 51 is engaged on top of the strainer basket bottom 52 at the area of the basket opening 50. When the stopper assembly is in a closed position, the stopper shoulder 51 is moved off the bottom 52 and allowed to pass through the basket opening 50 until the rubber stopper bottoms against drain housing stopper seat 53. When it is desired to open the valve, the knurled stem head 46 may be grasped and pulled upwardly and rotated 90 so that the elliptical shoulder 51 may be again engaged on the basket bottom around the elliptical basket opening 50.

Shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 is a modified form of a sink structure indicated generally at In this instance, it will be appreciated that primed reference numerals have been employed to designate parts which correspond to the ones previously discussed in connection with the description of the components of the sink structure 10.

In this form of my invention, a tubular cup-shaped drain housing is provided as a separate unit and not integral with the sink bottom 12', as shown in FIGURE 2. The drain housing 15' may be secured with the sink bottom 12' by telescoping it through the sink or drain aperture 13' so that outer drain housing margin 16' is disposed in lapped engagement with the sink bottom 12' about the drain aperture 13. A gasket 56 is disposed between the drain housing margin 16' and the sink bottom 12'. Mounted on the underside of the sink bottom 12' is a back-up ring 57 and upper ends 33' of pressure screws 32' are engaged against the back up ring 57. When the pressure screws 32 are drawn tight, the tail pipe 21' as well as the drain housing 15 are drawn downwardly to effect seals at the juncture of the tail pipe 21' with the gasket and at the juncture of the outer drain housing margin 16 with the gasket 56 and it is in this Way that the pressure screws 32 operate to serve a novel dual function enabling the components of the waste outlet fitting 14 to be more readily and quickly assembled with a sink such as the sink 10'.

In this form of the invention, the fitting 14' is also provided with a strainer basket 37', but in this instance the strainer basket outer margin 39' is in sliding engagement with vertical drain housing wall 15a.

The strainer basket 37' is also provided with a dilferent type of stopper assembly indicated generally at 41.

d The stopper assembly 41' includes a rubber stopper 42 which is secured to the basket bottom 52 by means of circular plate 43. The plate 43' may be suitably secured with the basket bottom 52 such as by means of welding and the like.

The stem 45 is provided with an elliptical shoulder 51 which is movable through elliptical removable strainer opening 58 to engage and disengage the rubber gasket 42 on the drain housing stopper seat or rib 53. When the lead 46 is rotated after the elliptical shoulder 51' has been drawn above the removable strainer, the shoulder 51 may then be engaged with the margin of the elliptical opening 58 on the removable strainer 34.

Shown in FIGURES 68 is still another modified form of my invention which includes a sink structure 10". In this instance, the components of the sink structure which correspond to the ones previously described in connection with the first form of the invention, have been designated by double primed reference numerals.

In this instance, tubular cup-shaped drain housing 15" is formed integral with the sink bottom 12". The housing 15" has circumferentially spaced indentations 61 defined by bulges or ribs 62. In order to effect a seal between tail pipe 21" and the drain housing 15", upper ends 33" of screws 32" are engaged within the indentation 61 with the bulges or ribs 62. It is in this way that the tail pipe 21 may be forced downwardly against the drain housing seat 10 to effect the seal.

This form of the invention further differs from the forms previously described in that strainer basket 37 is provided with a series of circumferentially spaced indentations defined by basket bulges or ribs 63. The basket bulges or ribs 63 correspond in number to the housing bulges or ribs 62. Also mounted on the basket 37 is a modified type of stopper assembly indicated generally at 41". In this instance, the stopper assembly 41" includes a gasket 42" which is secured with a lift stem 45" by means of circular plate 43" and rivet 48". In other words, the circular plate 43" is riverted in assembly with the basket bottom 52" and the ring or gasket 42" is secured therebetween.

In order to permit fluids to flow to the tubular tail piece 21", the lift stem 45" is grasped and lifted and rotated so that mated ribs 62 and 63 are disengaged with respect to one another whereupon the basket may be lowered so that its underside is engaged on top of the housing ribs 52 and in this way the gasket 42" is maintained out of engagement with the housing seat 53". When it is desired to close the tubular tail piece 21", the aforesaid steps may be reversed whereby the ribs 62 and 63 are aligned and engaged in mated relation with respect to one another and whereby the gasket 42" is thereby engaged with housing seat 53".

It will be understood that modifiications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a waste outlet fitting adapted to be secured within a drain aperture of a sink and comprising a tubular cupshaped drain housing having a reduced lower end including an annular radially inwardly extending flange defining a seat, a gasket on said seat, a tubular tail piece comprised of thin metal of substantially uniform cross-section and having an upper end including an annular radially outwardly extending tail piece flange mounted on said gasket, a C-shaped tail piece clamp having means securing its opposite ends for rigidly attaching the clamp to the exterior of said tail piece below the seat, and a series of screws threadably secured to said clamp and having upper ends for engagement with an area at an underside of a sink to draw said tail piece flange downwardly and snugly against said gasket and said seat to secure the tail piece in Watertight assembly with said tubular cup-shaped drain housing.

2. The fitting of claim 1 further characterized by said tubular cup-shaped drain housing being formed integral in one piece with a sink.

3. The fitting of claim 1 further characterized by said tubular cup-shaped drain housing comprising a cup separate and apart from a sink for attachment therewith.

4. In a waste outlet fitting adapted to be secured within a drain aperture of a sink and comprising a tubular cupshaped drain housing having a reduced lower end including an annular radially inwardly extending flange defining a seat, a gasket on said seat, a tubular tail piece comprised of thin metal of substantially uniform cross-section and having an upper end including an annular radially outwardly extending tail piece flange mounted on said gasket, a C-shaped tail piece clamp having means securing its opposite ends for rigidly attaching the clamp to the exterior of said tail piece below the seat, a series of screws threadably secured to said clamp and having upper ends for engagement with an underside of a sink to draw said tail piece flange downwardly and snugly against said gasket and said seat to secure the tail piece in watertight assembly with said tubular cup-shaped drain housing, said tubular cup-shaped drain housing having an upper margin for engagement on top of a sink bottom about a sink drain opening, anda gasket engaged with an underneath side of said upper margin, said screws engageable with an area at an underside of a sink and coacting with said upper margin and gasket for securing said tubular cupshaped drain housing in watertight engagement with a sink bottom about its drain opening.

5. In a waste outlet fitting adapted to be secured within a drain aperture of a sink and comprising a tubular cupshaped drain housing having a reduced lower end including an annular radially inwardly extending flange defining a seat, a gasket on said seat, a tubular tail piece having an upper end including an annular radially outwardly extending tail piece flange mounted on said gasket, a tail piece clamp rigidly secured to the exterior of said tail piece below the seat, and a series of screws threadably secured to said clamp and having upper ends for engagement with an underside of a sink to draw said tail piece flange downwardly and snugly against said gasket and said seat to secure the tail piece in watertight assembly with said tubular cup-shaped drain housing, said tubular cup-shaped drain housing having a series of spaced indentations defining ribs on an inside of said cup-shaped portion and with said ends of said screws engaged therein.

6. In a waste outlet fitting adapted to be secured within a dram aperture of a sink and comprising a tubular cupshaped drain housing having a reduced lower end including an annular radially inwardly extending flange defining a seat, a gasket on said seat, a tubular tail piece having an upper end including an annular radially outwardly extending tail piece flange mounted on said gasket, a tail piece clamp rigidly secured to the exterior of said tail piece below the seat, a series of screws threadably secured to said clamp and having upper ends for engagement with an underside of a sink to draw said tail piece flange downwardly and snugly against said gasket and said seat to secure the tail piece in watertight assembly with said tubular cup-shaped drain housing, said tubular cup-shaped drain housing having a series of spaced indentations defining ribs on an inside of said cup-shaped portion and with said ends of said screws engaged therein, and a strainer basket disposed within said tubular cupshaped drain housing having a basket gasket secured to its underside and also having strainer basket indentations nestingly engageable with said ribs on said tubular cupshaped drain housing and with said basket then being cooperable with said tubular cup-shaped drain housing permitting said basket gasket to engage said tubular cup-shaped drain housing to prevent fluid flow irom a sink to said tail piece, said basket being rotatable to engage a basket bottom on said ribs to elevate said basket gasket relative to said tubular cup-shaped drain housing to allow fluid flow from a sink to said tail piece.

7. The fitting of "claim 1 furthercharacterized by a removable strainer disposed on top of said radially outwardly extending tail piece flange and having annularly spaced drain openings, said drain housing having a stopper seat disposed above its reduced lower end, a basket in said housing and with said basket having a stopper on its underside movable into and out of engagement with the stopper seat to regulate fluid flow to the tail piece, said basket having a stem projecting through a basket bottom on opposite sides thereof with an upper end of the stern providing a lift handle and with a lower end of the stem being movable through an opening in said removable strainer and provided with :a stem shoulder engageable topside on said strainer to disengage said stopper from said stopper seat, said stern shoulder being discup-shaped drain housing having an outer housing margin at its upper end and having a reduced lower end ineluding an annular radially inwardly extending flange defining a seat, a gasket on said seat, a tubular tail piece comprised of thin threadless metal of substantially uniform thickness and having an upper end including an annular radially outwardly extending tail piece flange mounted on said gasket, an open ended tail piece clamp having means for securing its ends for rigidly attaching the clamp to the exterior of said tail piece below the seat, a ring disposed beneath housing margin, a series of screws threadably secured to said clamp and having upper ends tor engagement with a ring to draw said tail piece flange downwardly and snugly against said gasket and said seat to secure the tail piece in watertight assembly with said tubular cup-shaped drain housing, said tubular cup-shaped drain housing having an upper margin for engagement on top of a sink bottom about a sink drain opening, a gasket engaged with an underneath side of said outer margin, and a ring disposed beneath said gasket with a sink flange adapted to be disposed therebetween, said screws engageable with said ring and coacting with said outer margin and gasket for securing said tubular cup-shaped drain housing in watertight engagement with a sink bottom about its drain opening.

9. In a waste outlet fitting adapted to be secured within a drain aperture of a sink and comprising :a tubular cup-shaped housing having a reduced lower end, a tubular tail piece of substantially uniform section joined with said reduced lower end, a drain basket mounted in said housing having its outer margin engaged with said housing suspending a basket bottom above said reduced lower end, said housing having an annular housing shoulder between said basket bottom and said reduced lower end, a stopper secured to an underside of said basket engageable and disengageable with said housing shoulder to regulate fluid flow, and mean operatively joined with said stopper for securing said stopper in an elevated position with respect to said housing shoulder to allow fluid flow through said reduced lower end and said tail piece, said reduced lower end including an annular radially inwardly extending flange defining a seat, a gasket on said seat, said tubular tail piece having an upper end including an annular radially outwardly extending tail piece flange mounted on said gasket, a tail piece clamp rigidly secured to the exterior of said tail piece below the seat, and a series of screws threadably secured to said clamp and having upwardly extending ends for engagement with an overlying surface to draw said tail piece flange downwardly and snugly against said gasket and said seat to secure the tail piece in watertight assembly with said tubular cup-shaped drain housing, said means including a series of spaced indentations defining ribs on an inside of said cup-shaped portion and with said ends of said screws engaged within the indentations and with said ribs being adapted to hold said stopper free of said housing shoulder to allow fluid to flow through the tail piece.

10. The fitting of claim 9 further characterized by said upper end of said tubular cup-shaped housing being in tegral and formed in one piece with said sink.

11. In a waste outlet fitting comprising a tubular cu shaped drain housing having a reduced lower end including an annular radially inwardly extending flange defining a seat, a gasket on said seat, a tubular tail piece comprised of thin metal of substantially uniform thickness having an upper end including an annular radially out- Wardly extending tail piece flange mounted on said gasket, a spreadable tail piece clamp having releasable means thereon for rigidly attaching the clamp to the exterior of said tail piece below the seat, a ring slidably mounted on said tail piece between said clamp and said seat, and a series of screws threadably secured to said clamp and having upper ends engaged with said ring to draw said tail piece flange downwardly and snugly against said gasket and said seat to secure the tail piece in watertight assembly with said tubular cup-shaped drain housmg.

12. In a waste outlet fitting adapted to be secured within a drain aperture of a sink and comprising a tubular cup-shaped housing having a reduced lower end, a tubular tail piece of substantially uniform section joined with said reduced lower end, a drain basket mounted in said housing having its outer margin engaged with said housing suspending a basket bottom above said reduced lower end, said-housing having an annular housing shoulder between said basket bottom and said reduced lower end, said reduced lower end including an annular radially inwardly extending flange defining a seat, a gasket on said seat, said tubular tail piece having an upper end including an annular radially outwardly extending tail piece flange mounted on said gasket, a tail piece clamp rigidly secured to the exterior of said tail piece below the seat, said cup-shaped portion having a series of indentations projecting upwardly from a bottom of the cup, and a series of screws threadably secured to said clamp and having upwardly extending end engaged within said indentations to draw said tail piece flange downwardly and snugly against said gasket and said seat to secure the tail piece in watertight assembly with said tubular cupshaped drain housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 740,663 Krantz Oct. 6, 1903 2,225,693 Frances Dec. 24, 1940 2,429,435 Vartanian Oct. 21, 1947 2,569,615 Link Oct. 2, 1951 2,662,230 Borman Dec. 15, 1953 2,670,137 Jordan Feb. 23, 1954 2,929,075 Hyde Mar. 22, 1960 3,005,996 Hyde Oct. 31, 1961 3,007,179 Bertulli Nov. 7, 1961 

1. IN A WASTE OUTLET FITTING ADAPTED TO BE SECURED WITHIN A DRAIN APERTURE OF A SINK AND COMPRISING A TUBULAR CUPSHAPED DRAIN HOUSING HAVING A REDUCED LOWER END INCLUDING AN ANNULAR RADIALLY INWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGE DEFINING A SEAT, A GASKET ON SAID SEAT, A TUBULAR TAIL PIECE COMPRISED OF THIN METAL OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM CROSS-SECTION AND HAVING AN UPPER END INCLUDING AN ANNULAR RADIALLY OUTWARDLY EXTENDING TAIL PIECE FLANGE MOUNTED ON SAID GASKET, A C-SHAPED TAIL PIECE CLAMP HAVING MEANS SECURING ITS OPPOSITE ENDS FOR RIGIDLY ATTACHING THE CLAMP TO THE EXTERIOR OF SAID TAIL PIECE BELOW THE SEAT, AND A SERIES OF SCREWS THREADABLY SECURED TO SAID CLAMP AND HAVING UPPER ENDS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH AN AREA AT AN UNDERSIDE OF A SINK TO DRAW SAID TAIL PIECE FLANGE DOWNWARDLY AND SNUGLY AGAINST SAID GASKET AND SAID SEAT TO SECURE THE TAIL PIECE IN WATERTIGHT ASSEMBLY WITH SAID TUBULAR CUP-SHAPED DRAIN HOUSING. 